COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — It’s been more than a year since the US Supreme Court veto the federal right to abortionThe issue has at times dominated discussion among Republicans seeking their party’s 2024 presidential nomination and is sure to come up during Wednesday’s GOP campaign debate in Milwaukee.
Some of the division among the candidates over whether there should be a national ban on the practice has come — and how many weeks later — now that the justices have returned a specific debate on the legality of abortion to the states.
A look at how the abortion issue affects Republican and Democratic candidates:
Republicans
Often the former president, he was the Republican frontrunner Avoid the issue of abortioneven as Republicans across the country celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision.
In April, a major anti-abortion group attacked Trump on the issue, saying his claim that abortion restrictions should be left to individual states, not the federal government, is “a morally indefensible position for a pro-life presidential candidate.”
Said Susan B. Anthony Pro Live America He will not support any candidate for the White House who did not support at least a federal 15-week abortion ban.
Trump, who has referred to himself as “the most pro-life president in American history,” noted his successful nomination of three conservative justices, a move that turned the court into the conservative majority that shot down Roe v. Wade. Earlier this year, he Described as “very harsh” a measure signed into law by fellow governor Ron DeSantis that would ban abortions in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy.
While DeSantis was governor, Florida passed a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. But DeSantis, who says he’s “pro-life,” has suggested that individual states should decide the issue, adding in a recent interview that he’s “working on doing things that I know I can get done.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, DeSantis for not supporting a national ban on the procedure, Calling DeSantis’ position “unacceptable” He is running for president.
The former vice president supports a federal ban on abortion within six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
He has called for one of two widely used abortion pills to be withdrawn from the market – a drug with a better safety record than Viagra and Penicillin. Sensing that such a stance might be seen as too extreme in a general election, no other major presidential candidate joined his calls.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Pence went further, saying that abortion should be banned, even when pregnancy is deemed not possible. Such a standard Forcing women to continue their pregnancy Even when doctors decide that the baby has no chance of surviving outside the womb.
earlier this month While touring the Iowa State Fair, Pence said he had expected to use the debate as an opportunity to call out Trump and DeSantis for not insisting on a nationwide abortion ban.
The South Carolina senator has long voiced his opposition to abortion, vowing as president that “I will sign the most conservative pro-life piece of legislation you can bring to my desk.”
He has indicated his support for a federal ban on the practice from 12 weeks ago and also support for a bill sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Sr., that would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks.
In 2021, Scott will also co-sponsor legislation that would have established a constitutional right to life from the “moment of fertilization”.
Haley, the only female Republican in the field, vowed in May that she would sign a federal abortion ban if elected president.
But Haley has yet to set a timeframe for how many weeks she feels abortion should be banned, noting that passage of such a measure would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress, and calling for a “consensus” on the issue. She has said she would “absolutely” sign a 15-week federal ban.
The former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the United Nations said “no one has been honest” about how hard it would be to enforce a lockdown, in a closely divided federal government.
Hayley’s campaign spokesperson Ken Varnaso said in June that she would “sign pro-life legislation that includes exceptions for rape, incest, and maternal life,” suggesting she might oppose an exception for nonviable pregnancies — but declined to elaborate.
As governor, Haley signed the abortion ban after about 20 weeks. That law remains in effect while the six-week ban, which state legislators passed, is being deferred in the courts.
Ohio voters flatly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. (9 August)
Wealthy biotech entrepreneur and author of “Woke, Inc.” He said he would not support a federal ban on abortion because “the federal government should stay out of it.” He has expressed support for countries that have passed a six-week ban.
Like some other hopefuls, he has pushed for more policies that encourage adoption and better child care.
The former two-term governor of New Jersey argued that abortion should be done in the states, not at the federal level.
At a CNN town hall, Christie said that “the federal government should not be involved unless and until there is a consensus across the country of the 50 states making their own decisions about what it should be.”
While looking for a local position in the 1990s, Christie identified himself as “pro-choice”, saying he had a change of heart after hearing his daughter’s heartbeat at 13 weeks.
As governor, he has vetoed millions in government funding for Planned Parenthood and other Planned Parenthood clinics. Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, Christie joined Dannenfelser at other GOP governors’ meetings to discuss the case and how it might play out at the state level.
The former two-term governor of Arkansas has said abortion should remain in states without a Republican overwhelming majority in Congress.
As governor in 2021, Hutchinson signed a near-total ban on abortions that did not include cases of rape and incest.
In April, North Dakota’s two-term governor signed into law one of the nation’s strictest anti-abortion laws. The measure would allow abortions up to six weeks into a pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergencies. Beyond this mark, no exceptions are allowed except for certain medical emergencies, such as an ectopic pregnancy, at any stage of pregnancy.
Burgum has said mostly that the question of abortion should be left to the states, and indicated that he would not support a federal ban.
The conservative radio host opposes abortion but said he would not support a federal ban.
The businessman describes himself as “pro-life”. When Johnson ran for governor of Michigan in 2022, he told reporters “two wrongs don’t make a right” when asked if he would rule out banning abortions in cases of sexual assault.
Miami’s mayor said he would support a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks of gestation, with some exceptions, including rape, incest, and maternal health.
The former Texas congressman said he would sign a 15-week federal abortion ban, though he said he didn’t see it realistic for Congress to approve such a measure.
While in the House, Heard twice voted for a 20-week ban.
Democrats
The president supports access to abortion and has said he would veto a national ban on the practice. As a senator, Biden supported abortion restrictions such as the 1976 Hyde Amendment — which says Medicaid will not pay for abortions unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest — but he said during the 2020 campaign that he He had a turning point.
The fallout from last year’s Supreme Court ruling affected much of the Biden presidency on abortion. He signed an executive order intended to promote and enhance access to birth control.
And mounting a rallying cry for voters in the 2022 midterm elections to seat more Democratic lawmakers who can legalize abortion access nationally, Biden also directed his administration to take steps to protect access to abortion care. This includes making mifepristone – one of the two pills used in medical abortion – easier to obtain, and ensuring that members of the military have access to reproductive health care.
The author and environmental advocate has spoken out in favor of “bodily autonomy” and describes himself as “pro-choice.”
Nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, also said “it’s the woman’s choice, and it’s just up to the woman” regarding how to handle the first trimester pregnancy.
The self-help author’s campaign website describes her as “one hundred percent pro-choice.” Williamson also indicated that she believes that the decision of whether or not to have an abortion “rests solely with the pregnant woman, as dictated by her conscience and in communion with the God of her understanding”.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
This article originally appeared on apnews.com
